Hello and welcome to my post-chemo update on my cancer/chemo journey. For the story to date, see links to articles below.
(Recapping the story so far)
In early December 2025 I received a positive bowel cancer screen (free government test) out of the blue (ie no symptoms or any other indications); spent the rest of December doing tests, scans, colonoscopy, etc; had surgery in early January 2026 to remove left side of large intestine, plus appendix, lymph nodes, and surrounding tissues.
Post-op biopsies and tests confirmed ‘stage 3’ cancer, meaning it was at ‘advanced’ stage but ‘localised’ to the surrounding areas, therefore a chance there is more cancer in there somewhere. To kill off any rogue cancers that got away, did 12 fortnights of chemotherapy from February to August.
Chemo program:
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- In hospital on every second Wednesday for about 4 hours getting the initial drugs and drips. The drugs were delivered are via a titanium port implanted in my chest, which has a catheter going up my neck into the jugular vein then down into the heart.
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- The next 48 hours I am on a chemo drip from a bottle I carry around in a bum bag with a tube plugged into the port in my chest. (A bit tricky at first getting used to showering, changing, sleeping with the drip attached 24/7, but you get used to it.)
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- Back in hospital on Fridays to unplug the drip and flush the port.
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- A few days rest and recovery, then a week to get fit and ready for the next round.
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- Repeat for 12 fortnights, with blood tests and oncologist consults before/after each round.
Chemo SIDE EFFECTS:
Chemo is different for everyone. I tracked 18 different side effects from head to toe – literally. Impacts ranged from weird, to annoying, to painful. (The only really painful, disruptive one was mouth ulcers).
Various side effects came and went at different times. Some were random, some were constant, some were temporary, and several related to cold temperatures in particular. (Hint: I would recommend chemo in winter!)
Some started literally from the first hour in the chair with the first drip on the first day. Others only appeared after several months. Some lasted only a few rounds then cleared up. Others are still with me a month after the last round.
Fortunately nothing too debilitating. None of the horror stories that afflicted many of the chemo patients I met or heard about during the journey. I was able to eat, sleep and exercise pretty well throughout.
Some side effects are still with me. The main annoying one is loss of feeling in toes and balls of feet, which affects walking and rules out running. Also still have partial loss of taste, some tongue disfunction (affects speech), and loss of feeling in finger tips. (Also, my fingerprints are gone, so am considering taking up a life of crime!)
Overall, I got through with only minor disruption to daily life. Certainly better than I had expected at the outset. I have been lucky, but I have tried to keep fit and active.
I am also lucky that Royal North Shore Hospital is a 10 minute walk from home, and it is a hub for dozens of related medical practices, clinics, labs, specialists, etc.
OUTCOMES – did the chemo work?
I had a CT scan before surgery, another mid-way through chemo (May), and after the end (September). The May (mid-way) CT gave a conditional ‘all clear’, but noted a couple of areas to watch - one spot on the liver and another in the right lung.
The September (post-chemo) CT showed the growth in the lymph node in the right lung had grown from 9mm to 15mm.
So the next step was a PET scan (last week), which showed up three areas my oncologist described as ‘mildly hot’ activity, including the growth in the lymph node in the right lung at 17mm. All three ‘mildly hot’ areas were on the right side torso, the same side as the original cancer.
The good news is that my oncologist seems fairly confident the hot spots are not too serious. So the next step is more ultra-sounds and biopsies.
Currently waiting to book those in, and then the wait for the results.
Even if/when I get the ‘all clear’ – I will have regular scans and tests every three months or so to see if anything pops up.
Always waiting for the next step!
‘Till next time – stay healthy and don’t put off those free government cancer screening tests!
NB. Please note that these are just my personal observations and experiences from a sample of one. Every patient is different, every cancer is different, and every chemo program is different. I have talked to several friends and relatives who have gone through their own cancer journeys and their ranges of experiences and side effects have been many and varied.